


Isn't it Wonderful?

by Marie_Ciel



Category: L'Arc~en~Ciel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 23:42:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,571
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Ciel/pseuds/Marie_Ciel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Even as people get older, they never lose that essence of who they are. Promises last forever, even through years, through old age, and loss of strength. Tetsuya's voice may not be what it used to be, but since when would he let that stop him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Isn't it Wonderful?

Time is a constant. It is unfeeling, unchanging, unyielding. Always, time keeps moving on. Never does it stop to wait for anything or anyone- it is unseeing, unfeeling, unthinking.

And yet, while it is a soulless entity, it manages to be savage, unforgiving, and relentless. Time takes no prisoners, and leaves all that it encounters with countless scars.

There was no cheating time. Time came for everyone.

Throughout his life, from his youth into the so-called “golden years”, Tetsuya always took excellent care of himself. Some would smile when they saw him now and remark that time had been kind to him- but time had no feeling for anyone. It was not time, but his dogged efforts, that kept him going for so long.

Even with this asset, he could not possibly escape forever. In the early mornings when he rose- that was one habit he never managed to lose, nor did he make any attempt to- Tetsuya would pause before the mirror, frowning, and wonder how it came to be that he was no longer able to count the wrinkles on his face. How did his cheeks become softer, rounding out his inherently narrow face? How did his thin nose become so prominent, and how did his eyes sink a little in contrast? It all happened seemingly without his notice.

A slow, gradual process-- but still ferocious, merciless.

Fate smiled upon him- with a little help from favorable genetics, as well- in that he did not go bald. He always hated the notion of losing all of his hair, and in the end, it didn't look as if he would have to face that. This did not mitigate the fact that it was a bit thinner than it once was, and it was a shining, pure white.

_Platinum blond,_ he would always insist. _Plenty of people have to get a dye job for this shade, you know._ Then an exuberant grin, running a hand knotted with veins through his hair as if suddenly struck with embarrassment for so boldly flaunting his own good fortune.

Over time, silence became a frequent visitor in his family home. It was a result of his years of doing what he loved- Tetsuya sang his heart out, and inadvertently with it, his throat. Every word was a whisper, and though he could raise his voice just a little when feeling especially vivacious, it was riddled with cracks and lines from time just as his countenance was.

Slowly he lost his ability to do things the way he used to- chores began to take longer; writing out papers and even typing on the laptop became mildly uncomfortable, then painful. His stride became shorter, though he managed to keep walking at least fairly straight up-and-down. A quiet retirement, he said- that's all he wanted, and being the ever-motivated Tetsuya, he made that happen.

Quiet- he indeed got his wish. He loathed the very idea of being a lonely old man, secluded in his home for being unable to do much else, but reality soon caught up with him.

At least, all was not lonely--

Ayana was always just a few steps behind him in age, and so she could be counted on to remain by her husband's side to offer help whenever he needed it. White streaks colored her hair as well, though she retained a more silver-grey shade overall. Beauty products and skin creams warded off some of the wrinkles, but she could not escape them all.

Tetsuya would insist that she hadn't changed at all, that she looked just as she did when they met so long ago. Ayana would shake her head and smile, telling him his aging eyes were playing tricks on him again.

Though he was buried under the weathering effects of time, she could still clearly see the man she had married all those years ago. His eyes sank a little, but they were still bright. His lips were cracked, but no smile ever lost any of its spirit. Even his figure was retained at least a little- Tetsuya had fought hard to keep from gaining weight, even in his advancing age. If anything, he was a bit too skinny, which was nothing Ayana's cooking couldn't fix.

The only thing that changed- that she really _missed-_ was the sound of his voice. His whispers were just as sweet as they had been when he first told her he loved her; if anything, they were sweeter since by now he had had quite enough time to think up some good ones. No, it was not the words, but the sound itself.

She missed that, as if she had already lost a piece of Tetsuya to the ravaging hands of time.

-

Ayana grimaced as she bent over the stove, pain racing hot fingers up and down her back. She hated getting stiff, getting weak and getting _old,_ but that was no excuse to give up any of her chores.

The scent of the soup as she stirred it rose up to meet her, and she smiled secretly in approval. Tetsuya would like it- well, he would _say_ he liked anything she put in front of him, but this she was sure would bring about a genuine response.

A click, and the heat of the stove died out at its herald. Ayana pulled out two bowls from the cupboard nearby and began to ladle the steaming liquid into them. In this same scene ten or twenty years ago, at the mere sound of the stove turning off, a certain someone would rush excitedly into the kitchen, eagerly scoping out prospects for dinner.

Tetsuya had always said he was easy to win over when it came to food.

Presently, he was in the bath, and was therefore not going to partake in this particular ritual. Still, it hurt just a little to have that habit broken. It was merely by chance, but...

It was another thing that all too suddenly faded away.

After setting the bowls on the table, Ayana went through the main room to where it adjoined to the bathroom. Her fist was raised to knock, informing him that dinner was ready whenever he was-

But something stopped her. Something... something familiar.

A sound?

She pressed her ear to the door, squeezing her eyes shut as if that would allow her to better identify this alien noise.

In fact, it was not noise at all. It was--

A voice.

It took a rapid, conscious effort for Ayana to keep her knees from buckling when she heard it. Her hand frantically grabbed onto the doorknob, an ecstatic smile painting across her lips.

_Ikura kangaetemo, kotae nante nai sa  
Kimi ga iru... boku ga iru... tada sore dake de ii_

The sound of that voice- a voice from a half-remembered time she thought was now a fantasy. A sound out of her dreams, and even those had faded until she wasn't sure she knew exactly what it sounded like anymore.

Now she was blinking away tears as it struck her- a melody. As it continued along its familiar path, each note slowly plucked up its courage to sing out; they each started wary, and soon were radiant.

Oh, that voice, that sound, that _music..._

Age still shone through as once in a while, a word would slip or crack, and she knew it was real. The melody was still as beautiful as it had been when it was initially recorded- the man had never lost his musical touch. His voice was still gorgeous, worn little by the years passing by.

A dream come true- _singing._

_Ashita no koto nante, dare ni mo wakaranai  
Kamisama ga... bokutachi ni... kureta deai nante suteki nandarou?_

-

As soon as he emerged from the lightly steaming air of the bathroom, she nearly pushed him back in as she hugged him tightly, overflowing with joy. Tetsuya chuckled nervously, tightening his robe around himself a little as he shivered, and she pulled away.

The smile that teased the corners of his lips melted in an instant. Alarmed, he asked why she was crying, and at first no words would come. Her mouth moved like she desperately wanted to tell him _something,_ but she had forgotten how to speak her own language.

Ayana Sakai. He had held her by the shoulders with his hands and his firm whisper. _Please, what's the matter?_

_Wonderful World._ Her voice was thick with tears. _That was...Wonderful World._

_Of course._ A gentle smile- cracked and worn with age as it was, it was the same one he always gave. The one he reserved especially for her.

_You can sing... darling, that was your voice... You can still sing..._

_Well, I still have a pretty girl to sing to, don't I? I have to make my presence tolerable for you somehow._

Ayana choked down a joyous sob as Tetsuya pulled her into his arms. He still felt strong- and with his voice, she knew he had been all along. That hardworking, stubborn man would never give up, even in the face of cruel time.

_Kimi no daisuki na uta utau you eien ni._

He whispered the words into her ear as she kissed him on the cheek.

She had never known that those very words were not simply another eloquent, melodic line from one of his songs- they were a promise.

_We'll sing that song you love forever._


End file.
